Microbiota of Milk and Dairy Foods: Structure and Function by -omics Approaches

Abstract

In the era of big data we are able to generate billions of individual sequences in order to better identify strains, enzymes or genes in complex food systems, including milk and dairy products. In the last 20 years the number of studies, projects and researchers has increased, trying to discover the microbial complexity in food systems. The -omics technologies that can also be called food-omics techniques (including the study of microbes, genes, proteins and metabolites in food systems) are already widely used to track and map shifts in microbial communities, discover new molecules, new metabolic pathways and also new strains.

The Bacterial and Fungal Microbiota of “Robiola di Roccaverano” Protected Designation of Origin Raw Milk Cheese

“…Debaryomyces spp. is frequently detected in milk and dairy products due to its resistance to low pH and high salt content (Ferrocino et al, 2020).…”

Foodomic-Based Approach for the Control and Quality Improvement of Dairy Products

“…In the same way, the maturation process in cheese depends on the interaction of the different individuals that compose its microbiota, as if it were a community of neighbors. This microbiome is especially complex in milk and its derivatives, being also subject to variations due to the influence of the external conditions, where parameters, such as temperature, water activity (aw), and pH, among others, can play a determining role in the final characteristics, affecting the quality directly [82]. Omic approaches may provide a superior understanding of the microbial ecosystem [83] and intervene in the design on the production stages.…”

Mycobiota Composition of Robiola di Roccaverano Cheese along the Production Chain

“…Milk-associated microbiota showed a high biodiversity where Gram-negative (Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Aeromonas genera and Enterobacteriaceae family) and Gram-positive (Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Leuconostoc, Corynebacterium and Macrococcus genera) are commonly identified [1,2]. However, mould and yeast also called mycobiota are often identified in dairy products where they could play an active role in the developing of the typical organoleptic characteristics of the final products [3]. Mould and yeast species, namely Debaryomyces hansenii and Kluyveromyces marxianus are involved in sugar fermentation.…”